In its most recent report, the World Health Organisation says a new variation of Covid-19 has been discovered in the UK. According to the health body, the new mutant, called XE, may be more pathogenic than COVID-19 strains. The XE strain is a recombinant strain that is a mutation of BA’1 and BA.2.
During the infection of a patient by multiple strains of Covid-19, recombinant mutations develop. British experts reported in a paper published in the British Medical Journal that variants mix up their genetic material during replication. The World Health Organisation reported that XE may be 10 percent more transmissible than Omicron BA.2.
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“Early-day estimates indicate a community growth rate advantage of 10 percent as compared to BA.2, however, this finding requires further confirmation,” according to the World Health Organisation.
Health officials in the UK said 637 cases of XE have already been reported since XE was first reported on January 19.
Currently, the BA.2 subvariant of Omicron is spreading rapidly around the world. Covid-19 is estimated to have affected 4.9 million people in the UK this week, 600,000 more than last week, according to the latest Office for National Statistics survey. In China and the United States, the BA.2 variant has also been associated with an increase in Covid-19 cases.
AFRICA DAILY NEWS, NEW YORK
